Press Briefing by
A Senior Administration Official on President Bush's Meetings with President Jiang of People's Republican of China and President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, People's Republic of China

5:43 P.M. (Local)

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: Good evening. I thought I'd take a
chance to read out a little bit for you the two meetings that the
President had today with President Jiang of China, and President Kim of
South Korea.

Both meetings began with, as you might
imagine, discussions of the counterterrorism effort. Very
strong statements of support from both the Presidents, recognition that
this is really a scourge that affects all stable countries, and a real
desire to see the counterterrorism efforts succeed.

The President talked a lot about his own
personal determination to see this war on terrorism succeed, and he
found, I think, ready and willing partners in that effort.

During the Jiang meeting with the
President, which in total was over three hours, the meeting and then
with lunch -- the two Presidents committed themselves to the building
of a constructive and mature relationship. The President
said at one point to President Jiang -- President Bush said at one
point to President Jiang, China is not an enemy. Sometimes we will
have our disagreements, but we will handle them with
respect. And I think you heard that President Jiang then
reiterated that point in the press conference.

They talked about several areas of
cooperation, including, of course, counterterrorism, but also trade,
where the President signaled his continuing support for China's
accession to the WTO. The President did mention that there
were still important trade issues to be dealt with as this accession
takes place, including concerns the United States has had about soy
beans, and also a concern about insurance -- treatment for American
insurance companies.

They had a very wide-ranging and
interesting discussion of North Korea. Of course, Kim Jung
Il has been to China recently, and the President asked President Jiang
to talk some about what he saw in Korea -- in North
Korea. President Jiang said that he believes that the
American presence in the Asia Pacific in general is stabilizing, and
they talked about their joint desire for stability and peace here, as
well as on the Korean Peninsula.

The President raised proliferation
concerns, especially in the light of September 11th that there needs to
be a renewed effort on making certain that the means to deliver weapons
of mass destruction by missile technology not spread, as well as
weapons of mass destruction themselves. The President talked
about the importance of religious freedom; indeed, told President Jiang
that this was an issue that was deep and dear to the hearts of
Americans, how much we value religious freedom, and how much he himself
as a practicing Christian values religious freedom and personal -- the
right to personal faith.

They then went to lunch. Three
giant, circular tables, about 18 people each. I might just
note that there was a lot of talk about the wonders of
Shanghai. There were -- the current mayor of Shanghai was
there as well as two former mayors of Shanghai. Clearly
being there, Shanghai is an important role as one moves up in the
Chinese leadership. And so there was a great deal of talk
about this city, the President having last been here in the
mid-'70s. I, myself, was last here in 1992. And
they had a talk about how -- the spectacular growth of the city.

Finally, let me say that the meeting was
cordial, that it was a meeting in which a lot of business was done and
I think they established a very good relationship, good personal basis
for moving forward. In fact, at one point, both men
committed to picking up the phone and calling, particularly if there
was some area of misunderstanding, and I think that's a very important
step forward.

The President met today also with
President Kim of South Korea. Of course, this is their
second meeting. And the President talked a great deal about
not just the counterterrorism effort, but about his desires for peace
and stability on the Korean Peninsula. President Kim at one
point said that he had not really expected President Bush to want to
talk about the Korean Peninsula, given everything else that was on his
mind. But President Bush assured President Kim that it was
something that he was following closely, working on. He
reiterated his support for the Sunshine Policy of President Kim;
thanked him for his leadership there; told him that he knew that it was
based on a realistic assessment of the North, but also a kind of
hopefulness that something could be achieved.

President Kim, for his part, thanked the
President for that support. And they both talked about the U.S.-North
Korean relationship, President Bush saying that he, of course, had made
an offer to the North Korean government to begin discussions about a
broad range of subjects when the North Koreans are ready to do that.

They talked also about trade issues, the
WTO round that is coming. The President asked for the support of South
Korea, particularly on agricultural issues. And they had a
full range of discussions about that issue, as well.

With that, I will close and take
questions.

Q When the Chinese
President said that U.S. strikes against Afghanistan should avoid
innocent casualties, doesn't that suggest a lack of support for U.S.
actions, since there's no way we can avoid innocent casualties?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: Ron, the United States government is doing
everything that it can to avoid civilian casualties. We've
said that --

Q -- he doesn't
say, do everything you can to avoid, he says, to avoid innocent
casualties.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: I think you're parsing pretty closely
here. The President has said that the United States wants to
do everything that it can to avoid civilian casualties. This
is a country, the United States and its allies, that is seeking to save
lives. This, against an enemy, by the way, that goes -- that
engages in the wanton destruction of innocent lives. After
all, the United States has undertaken a major humanitarian effort in
this regard. The United States is doing what it can to avoid
civilian casualties, and the President has made that very clear.

I think he felt that he got very good
support from the Chinese government, not just in words, but we've been
getting very good support from the Chinese government in information
and intelligence-sharing. They sealed their border with
Afghanistan. They've done some very real
measures. So he's very satisfied with the support that he's
getting.

Q To what extent
did Taiwan come up? President Jiang mentioned it twice in
his remarks. Did the President repeat his message that we
will do whatever is necessary to defend Taiwan?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: The President reaffirmed very strongly his
commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act. He affirmed his
belief that Taiwan ought to be treated with respect. They
had a discussion of it, but the President made very clear that American
policy remained the same.

Q Following up on
Ron's question, President Jiang also said that we hope terrorist
activities can have clearly defined targets. And what is
more, the United Nations should be brought into full play, looking
toward the future. Does this feel to the administration as
any layering of conditions that China is applying, either to what's
happening now or what may be contemplated in the future?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: No, we don't see this as any layering of
conditions. On the first point, about targeting very
carefully, I think it's obvious that the United States has in mind what
the President listed all the way back in his Joint Session speech --
that the goal here is to render the al Qaeda organization incapable of
functioning, to bring justice to or to bring to justice those who
perpetrated the crime against the United States. That means
in some cases rooting these cells out in other countries.

And I want to remind you, there have been
250-plus arrests of known terrorists around the world. So
that operation is underway. It's targeted on going after a
country that chose to harbor the terrorists and didn't heed the
President's warning, the Taliban. And the Taliban is now
paying the price.

The President has also said that the war
on terrorism has to be broad, you can't be for one kind of terrorist
and against another kind of terrorist. But no, we didn't
perceive this as any layering.

And concerning the U.N., let me just
remind you that the U.N. Charter, of course, has within it the right to
self-defense. And in going after these terrorists where they
live, in fact, in going -- understanding that, in this case, since you
cannot lock down the United States of America, that the best defense
here is a good offense, we are exercising the right to
self-defense. That's in the U.N. Charter. And, if
you don't think it was self-defense, then September 11th should have
made that very clear.

Q So you do not
perceive in that reference to the U.N. any suggestion from the Chinese
that it is reserving the right to object in future in the Security
Council, if this, in fact -- campaign, in fact, broadens beyond
Afghanistan?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: I won't speak for the Chinese government, but I
will tell you that they have been very supportive in the
U.N. It is also true that we believe that the U.N. is going
to have a role in the postwar reconstruction of
Afghanistan. We've made that very clear.

But I just want to go
back. Self-defense, the right of self-defense is recognized
internationally. And if ever there was a case of
self-defense, it's going after these terrorists where they live before
they strike.

Q Was there any
movement at all on the soybean issue? And did they talk at
all about the environmental aspects of the WTO entry?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: The second subject, the environmental aspects, did
not, in fact, come up in their meeting, although there have been
discussions on that issue at the ministerial level that just took
place. The soybean issue, they again referred to trade
ministers. But I think that President Jiang heard very
clearly that the President believes that the ability for American
agricultural products to be properly treated within a WTO arrangement
is extremely important to him, and he considers soybeans an important
example of that.

Q I wanted to ask
you about the APEC statement. It sounds like the
organization is ready to say it's against terrorism, but it's not ready
to say that it's for the military operation in
Afghanistan. Is that a disappointment --

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: It's a very strong statement. I would
ask you to compare it to other statements. It looks a lot
like the G-8 statement, for instance, on terrorism. It
commits the participants to some specific steps, a list of specific
steps. It commits the participants to U.N. Resolutions 1368
and 1373, both of which have specific steps that states need to take.

We're getting some of the strongest
language that we've ever gotten, internationally, on specific things
that states are asked to do. It also references the United
Nations Charter. And the United Nations Charter, again, has
the right to self-defense. That is what the United States
and the allied forces are engaged in at this point in
time. So we consider this a very strong statement, and are
very satisfied and gratified by it.

And I just wanted to call your attention
to one other thing in the APEC statement. There is, I think,
something very important there, which is a call for capacity-building,
for states that might not have the capability of really rooting out
terrorism -- whether it's the need for better intelligence, or better
law enforcement, or better financial controls. And that's
something that I think the United States and its allies will want to
heed.

Q Partnership in
this effort can mean different things. Is it your sense that
the Chinese are signaling at the very least that they will not stand in
the way of any U.S. military action? And in what way are
they -- are they sending those signals? And from the United
States point of view, what sensitivities does China have in coming out
with a full-throated support of military action, that you're aware of?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: Well, from the very beginning, David, we've said
that this is a broad coalition, and that different countries will fight
on different fronts in this coalition. We've also said that
it has to be up to countries to determine what kind of contribution
they can make.

But we believe that the core here is to
support the war on terrorism, to support specific measures to finally
root out terrorism. As I said, the Chinese have been very
helpful on the intelligence and information front. In some ways, we
believe that's the most useful thing that China could do. China has
also sealed its border with Afghanistan. China has also said
that it will help on the financial control side.

I can't speak about the sensitivities of
the Chinese government. That's for the Chinese government to
do. I can only tell you that we feel that we've gotten full
and complete support from China. And since it's a big and
important country, in the neighborhood, that's extremely important.

Q --
characterization that indeed the signals they're sending is that they
may not come on with a full-throated support of U.S. action, but they
won't stand in the way.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: Well, as a member of the Security Council, the
Chinese have been party to these resolutions; the Chinese have been
party to the implication of Article 51, under the U.N.
Charter. And, of course, that is the right to self defense.

I'm going to take two, because I --

Q -- in the back.

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: All right. I'll take a couple more.
I'll ignore the advice I'm being given and take a couple more.

Q To what extent is
the administration concerned about the fact that other countries may
use the same pretext, citing the U.N. Charter, in conducting actions
across borders?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: Well, the United States has just a very strong
case here, and not every case is going to be this
strong. The President has mentioned, for instance, and, in
fact, he and President Jiang talked today about the importance of not
conflating or not equating every separatist movement with
terrorism. So we think that the case is very clear-cut here
and that that is not a danger from our point of view.

Q In the meeting
with Jiang, did either leader bring up the spy plane incident from last
April?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: They did not. I believe that both sides
believe that this is an incident that is behind us and that we can move
on to constructive relations.

Q The President
said that we'll carry out military operations in a way that will not
disrupt the delivery of food. Could you elaborate on that?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: As you may know, we have had cooperation from the
United Nations, from the World Food Program. In fact, there
are representatives of some humanitarian agencies actually at SENTCOM
helping there to try to make certain -- because the President said from
the very beginning that the humanitarian part of this was important to
him, that he wants to see food delivered to Afghanistan.

But let's remember what the Taliban has
been doing to its own people ever since it came to power. It
has been starving its own people for political purpose. It
has been burning food that is delivered. It has been telling
people not to eat the food that is dropped because it's
poison. It is trying to tax humanitarian organizations that
are trying to deliver food. It should be very clear to
everybody what the problem is here. You have a repressive
government that wants to use food as a weapon.

The United States and its allies are
trying to get food in to help starving Afghans. And I'm sure
that the United States and its allies are determined to do
that. But the Taliban is its own worse problem here.

Q In parts of your
readout and in the press conference, we didn't hear anything about
missile defense, and we also didn't hear anything about warning the
Chinese about their own arms build-up, both nuclear and
non-nuclear. Did the subject come up?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: The subject of missile defense came up briefly
because the President talked about it in the context of wanting to make
the region more stable, in the context of China not being an enemy. He
also talked about the importance of doing nothing to make the region
unstable. But there will be longer discussions with the
Chinese about missile defense at other levels.

Q What did
President Jiang say?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: I'm not going to -- I can't characterize precisely
his response to this; it was in a long discussion the President made
about Asia Pacific. President Jiang's response, in general,
was that he believed in American presence in the Asia Pacific was good
for stability.

Q You mentioned
that information that the Chinese are providing us with, intelligence
information, is very helpful. But during the spy crisis the
administration talked about how hard it was to get any concrete
information out -- you didn't know whether it was the military or the
political leaders, the bureaucracy was a nightmare. How do
we know the information is any good now?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: Well, let me just say that we assess the
information to be helpful and to be
forward-leaning. Obviously, this is a different
situation. There are going to be times when we have
interests that do not coincide. That was clearly the case
during the EP-3 incident. We, clearly, now have interests
that coincide. And I think that it's not surprising that
both countries, acting in their own interests, we get very good
information.

Q But you've seen
some change inside China that -- I mean, what's changed with them?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: I can't really answer what's happened
inside. I can just tell you that I think that the President
has made a very strong case that it is in the interests of all stable
and civilized countries to band together to deal with this terrorist
threat. And I think that he's getting a good response from
the Chinese, as well as from others.

Last question.

Q I just want to
know, in the midst of everything going on here, is the President able
to focus on the anthrax scare? Is he talking to Washington,
who and how frequently?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: The President is very focused on what is going on
in the United States, as well. He has talked at least, to my
knowledge, three times since he's been here, to Governor
Ridge. He is very much on top of it. As you know,
Governor Ridge gave a press conference yesterday in which he called
together a number of people from the administration to talk about
various aspects of it. The President is following it daily.

In addition to the phone calls, he's
getting updates very frequently about the situation, and knows it very,
very well; is directing it from here.

Q Can you just
describe, when you were flying here on Air Force One and the
information came out about the CBS case and the number of people
exposed on the Hill, how he reacted to that?

SENIOR ADMINISTRATION
OFFICIAL: All along, the President has reacted to all of
these events very calmly, but very forcefully. The key,
first, is to get good information. He has good sources of
information. It's then to make certain that that
information, as it is received and as it is evaluated, is passed to the
American people. He's very concerned about that, that the
American people get good information. He's following it very
closely.